


In It Together

by trixwitch



Series: In It Together [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/F, Falling In Love, Feelings, Friends to Lovers, Grief/Mourning, Romance, Swan Queen - Freeform, Swan Queen endgame, swan queen origin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-06
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2018-10-15 07:52:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10552750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trixwitch/pseuds/trixwitch
Summary: After both Hook and Robin are killed (and Hook doesn't come back in my story!), Emma and Regina grow closer. At first it's about getting each other through the grieving process, but eventually it turns into a much deeper connection.The story is a series of scenes that shows the evolution of their relationship. Some sexy times happen in later chapters. also I basically ignored the existence of Zelena.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Rated M for chapters 5 and 7. The rest could be rated T.

Setting: Set at the end of 5B. They’ve returned from the underworld without Hook. It diverges from canon right there – Hook never comes back, he just moves on to a better place.

**Chapter 1**

Emma looked up as the final ritual of Robin’s funeral began. She watched tearful mourners place arrow after arrow on his coffin, honoring the man they loved. Setting her jaw, she placed her arrow and turned to watch as Henry guided Regina towards the coffin. The pit of Emma’s stomach dropped, and she felt a cold ache begin to gnaw at her heart. This was because of her. Not only had she lost Hook, she had caused this woman, who at some point in the last two years had become her best friend, unimaginable pain. Well, not unimaginable actually. Emma knew exactly how it felt. And as she gazed at her son’s other mother, she saw the same emptiness and devastation Emma knew only too well reflected in her friend’s eyes.

She let her mother lead her back to Granny’s, where they listened to increasingly drunk Merry Men regale the group with stories of Robin’s bravery. Emma knew this was what they needed to do to mourn him, but it started to grate on her. She disentangled herself from her parents and spotted Regina, who was sitting in a corner booth by herself, staring into space.

As Emma walked towards the booth, Regina looked up at her, “Please Emma, don’t. I’ve had enough people feeling sorry for me today.”

For a moment Emma didn’t know what to say. She was used to Regina’s standoffish nature by now, but had honestly expected something different at this moment. But after a deep breath she heard Regina’s plea for something deeper than “I’m sorry for your loss” behind her harsh words.

“I know. And that’s not why I came over.” Emma sat down across the table. “I don’t know what to say or do to process everything that’s happened, and I guess I just wanted to sit quietly instead of telling stories. Can I sit here with you?”

Regina looked at her friend, and gave a short nod before looking back down at her drink. Emma watched emotions play over her face, but held the silence as she let her mind wander over the awful events of the past few weeks.

The sound of glass shattering brought Emma back to reality. She looked over and saw shards in a circle on the table radiating out from Regina’s hand, which was still sparking with magic.

“Regina?” Emma reached out and instinctively grabbed Regina’s. Expecting her to yank her hand away and start yelling, Emma was surprised when she seemed to deflate at the touch.

“I’m sorry. I…” she trailed off and looked away.

“It’s OK, Regina. I get it, you have every right to be angry.” Emma stopped short, wanting to tell her she was sorry, but knowing that making it about her was the last thing Regina needed right now.

“You’re damn right I’m angry.” Regina replied in a steely voice. “This shouldn’t have happened. But it did. And now I’m here. Alone. Again.” She jerked her hand back.

Emma had been headed down her own spiral, but she snapped out of it at her friend’s words and bitter tone.

“You are _not_ alone, Regina. I promise you. Everything about this sucks, and I hate how powerless I am to do anything about it, to take away your hurt, or my hurt. But you are not alone in it.” She reached across the table to gently squeeze her friend’s forearm, wanting her to know she was serious.

Regina looked at her but said nothing. Eventually she waved a hand to clean up the mess on the table, and settled back in to sit in her misery. Emma was unsure what to do for a moment, but figured since she hadn’t been dismissed, she was free to stay. The two of them sat there until everyone except the Charmings and Henry had left the diner.

Emma stood up and offered her hand to help Regina out of the booth, surprised when she actually took it and let herself be led out the door. David insisted on driving Regina home, and she acquiesced. As Emma watched them pull away, she leaned into her mom’s steady embrace and felt the weight of the situation settle into her bones.


	2. Chapter 2

About two weeks after the funeral, Emma was sitting at the Sherriff’s station trying to concentrate on paperwork. Her mind was a million other places while she shuffled through the reports. She missed Killian with an intensity that honestly surprised her. Emma was no stranger to loss, but Killian had felt like a true partner; he complimented her in a way unlike any other. Slowly but surely he’d helped her take down her walls by being there and staying present, even when one of them screwed up. He built trust where none was before, a gift she could never repay. Because she trusted people now: her parents, her friends, Regina.

Regina. Guilt still lurked just out of sight in Emma’s heart over Robin’s death. But more than that, she ached to see the other woman so devastated. Emma wasn’t doing great, but she was managing. Regina was not. And because Regina was Regina she was isolating herself at the moment she most needed to rely on her friends and family.

Emma’s phone rang, interrupting her stream of consciousness. Seeing Henry’s number pop up, she grabbed it and answered quickly.

“Henry?”

“Mom! I need you to come to the house. Mom burned dinner and she’s … not handling it well.”

“Not handling it well? What does that mean?”

“You’d better just come over. I didn’t know who else to call.”

“It’s OK, kid, you did the right thing. Be there in 5 minutes.”

 

Emma knocked on the door and let herself in to the house, as they had established when Regina gave her a key about a year back.

“Regina? Henry?”

Henry came skittering out of the dining room and ran to Emma’s waiting embrace.

“Hey, kid. You OK?”

“Yeah, Mom, I’m fine. But Mom’s really not OK. I think she just … snapped, you know?”

Emma nodded and kissed Henry’s forehead.

“I’m glad you called.”

They walked into the kitchen together, and Emma saw what Henry meant. A pot of … something sat smoking on the floor in front of the open oven. Bits of vegetables were scattered everywhere from the salad that Emma surmised had been thrown across the room in frustration. Regina herself was currently hacking away at a blackened piece of bread on the counter, burned bits flying everywhere. She whirled around when she heard them enter the room, and one look at her wild eyes had Emma sending Henry off to Granny’s to buy take-out for the three of them, just to get him out of the house.

With Henry gone, Regina’s fury seemed to truly unleash and she snapped, “What are you doing here, Miss Swan? I don’t remember inviting you into my house.”

Emma took two steps to her right so that the counter was between them, just in case. “Henry called me. He was worried about you. I can see why,” she said calmly, nodding towards the smoking pan in the middle of the floor.

“How dare you judge me for this?” Regina’s voice came out in a low hiss, a tone that had the hair on the back of Emma’s neck standing on end. “You barely know how to cook, feeding our son all kinds of garbage. I burn dinner once and you come storming in?”

Taken aback, Emma willed herself to take a deep breath before responding, knowing Regina was just lashing out because she was in pain. But still, hadn’t they gotten past all this motherhood one-upmanship bullshit? Emma moved slightly towards the other woman, still keeping the counter between them. But before she could get very far, Regina had a fireball poised and was shouting “don’t take another step!”

Emma put up her hands in surrender. “Regina, hey. I’m not trying to do anything except talk to you. And I’m not judging you. I’m worried about you.”

“Well don’t,” spat Regina. “I’m fine. And I’ll thank you not to interfere in my kitchen.”

Emma couldn’t help the smirk that crossed her face as she took in the utter chaos that Regina was currently defending. That was clearly the wrong move: Regina flung the fireball at her with a yell. Emma ducked, and the fireball hit the wall behind her, adding to the general destruction of the place.

“What the hell, Regina?! I’m trying to help!”

“I don’t want your help!” Regina launched herself towards her, clearly intending to shove her out the kitchen door. In her rage she forgot about the pot on the floor, though, and tripped over it, hurtling bodily into Emma, who caught her and just barely managed to keep both of them off the ground. At her touch, Regina fought and squirmed, causing Emma to tighten her grip on her arms as she tried to pull them back to balance.

“Let go of me! Let me go!” Regina screamed and flung her hand up, hitting Emma on the jaw. But Emma didn’t let go. She couldn’t let her friend go in such a state of chaos (and yes, Regina was still her friend, even after she’d tried to fireball her). So she pulled her head back from the perilous fists and held on.

“Regina! Regina, it’s OK. You’re OK. I’m not letting you go yet.” Something clicked in her mind as she realized what Regina might need to hear. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong. You’re OK.” She repeated that over and over as she felt the fight go out of the woman’s flailing arms, although she continued to struggle against her grip for a moment more.

Then suddenly Regina was crying instead of fighting, sobs wracking her whole body. Emma repositioned her arms around her friend’s back and gently lowered them to the ground, letting Regina’s head fall to her shoulder as she cradled her in her grief. Emma stopped talking, and simply held the space, feeling her own sorrow well up as she recognized the agony pouring forth from the woman in her arms.

“It’s not fair! How am I supposed to move on from this?” Regina spluttered as she sobbed. Emma just stroked her back soothingly and held on.

Eventually, Regina’s sobs lessened, and her breathing evened out. When Emma felt her tense against her shoulder, she gently repositioned herself so they could both sit with their backs against the counter, shoulders just touching. She thought it might be easier to talk if they didn’t have to look at each other.

“I’m sorry I tried to fireball you,” Regina’s voice was ragged and low.

“I know,” Emma replied.

“And I didn’t mean what I said to you.”

Emma nodded. She knew that, but honestly it was good to hear.

“I can’t do this,” Regina said slowly, her voice breaking. Emma looked at her briefly as she continued “I don’t seem to be able to get back to normal life. I was cooking dinner and something made me think of Robin. I don’t even remember what now. But then I stopped paying attention and burned everything, and I was so _angry_ I just, well…” she nodded in the general direction of the stove.

“I know,” said Emma again. “It’s OK.”

Regina looked at her. “Is it, though? The last time I felt like this I, well, turned into the Evil Queen. And I know I don’t want that, I know it’s wrong, but I’m just so angry all the time!” She sighed, letting her head drop to the wall behind her. “It’s exhausting.”

“Maybe it’s good to let off some steam once in a while. Obviously not like, death and destruction, but maybe having a tantrum in the kitchen is good.” Regina huffed, but Emma continued, “ I mean, you’re going to be angry about it until you’re not. That’s how grief works. Honestly sometimes I wish I could be angry, instead of just fucking sad.”

Regina’s face softened and she looked at her friend. “I’m sorry, Emma,” she said softly. “Of course you of all people know exactly how I feel.”

Emma shrugged. “Maybe. But it’s different for everyone.”

The looked at each other for a moment, a sense that they were in this together settling over each of them.

Just then Henry came bursting back into the house, disrupting the moment of calm. Emma wiped away the tears that had sprung to her eyes and stood up to catch her son in a hug.

“Moms? Is everything OK?”

“Yes, Henry, we’re OK. Just dealing with things.” Emma reached out and helped Regina off the floor, and she took a turn wrapping Henry in her arms.

The three of them stood looking at the chaos around them. Henry, who always seemed to know exactly how to make things better for both of his mothers, gave a low whistle and breathed, “Wow. You really did a number on the kitchen, Mom.”

Emma laughed, looking over at Regina, who chuckled in spite of herself. “Let’s eat before we tackle the clean-up, shall we?”

Emma and Henry replied in chorus, “definitely.”

Another round of light laughter, and the mood was broken. Emma sucked in a deep breath as something like normal life resumed around her.


	3. Chapter 3

Emma opened her eyes and glanced at the clock. 6am. Way too early to get up on a day off, but she could tell she wasn’t going to be able to sleep more. Lately sleep had eluded her, and these early mornings were beginning to feel uncomfortably familiar. As she lay there, letting her body sink into the mattress, her mind wandered to the events of the week before. Seeing Regina on the brink of really losing control was sobering, but also, somehow, a relief. Sometimes Emma felt like a crazy person, ready to crawl out of her skin and just run as fast and as far as she could. It was calming to know someone else felt things as deeply and intensely as she did, and did stupid things because of it. Her default was to run; Regina’s was to destroy. That brought a smile to her face, picturing the utter destruction of the kitchen before they’d gotten it under control. With a little bit of time, it was going to make a great family story.

On a whim, Emma grabbed her phone and sent a quick text to Regina. She knew the Mayor was an early riser, so didn’t worry about waking her up.

<<You want to go for a walk?>>

Emma lay back and glanced up at the watery sunlight peeking through the blinds. She shook her head. Dumb idea, Swan, she thought. Despite their years of friendship, Regina could still be like a wild animal sometimes, lashing out if you tried to get too close. They had an understanding, and frankly trusted each other with their lives. But after the incident in Regina’s kitchen last week, she didn’t want to push it. Thinking more about that day, she could feel the memory of Regina’s wracking sobs in her body. Emma wished she could cry like that. She felt it – the hollow thrum of sadness followed her every moment of every day. But somehow she just couldn’t bring herself to let it out.

The phone on her chest beeped and she jumped, focusing back on the reality in front of her with a jolt.

<<A walk would be nice. Since it’s so early, want to go before we take Henry to your parents’ for breakfast?>>

 

Twenty minutes later, Emma showed up the house (although now that she also lived in a house, and not her parents’ small apartment, she supposed they would at some point start calling Regina’s place something different). Bundled against the cold, misty morning air, she knocked on the door and let herself in. Regina was standing in the entryway shrugging her coat on. They smiled shyly at each other.

“Good morning.” Regina grabbed her hat from the hook and led them out the door, turning to lock it securely.

“Hi.”

“Where do you want to walk?”

Emma shrugged. “I hadn’t really thought that part through.”

A hint of a smirk crossed Regina’s eyes, and Emma smiled sheepishly. You could practically see the labels pasted on each of them: impulsive, planner. She supposed that had helped Henry become such a well-adjusted kid; he had found that middle line between his mothers’ two extremes.

“Let’s go to the park. It’s too cold to go down by the water.”

Emma nodded, and they set off down the street. They walked in silence for a few blocks, glancing over at each other a couple of times. At first Emma felt awkward, but gradually she felt the silence deepen until it held her, unwinding her tension by degrees. She put her hands in her coat pockets and looked around at the damp trees swirled in mist. It felt good to be outside and moving. She hadn’t dragged herself out of the house much these past terrible weeks except to work and drive Henry around. Her will power and sense of purpose seemed to have evaporated at the cemetery that day. She sighed audibly, and Regina looked over at her.

“Thanks for suggesting this, Emma.” She looked like she might continue, but didn’t, and Emma thought maybe the disruption in routine was welcome for her as well.

They walked on in companionable silence, making it around the lake before Regina glanced at her watch and said they should head back. They were due to Snow and David’s at 8:30, and Henry took prodding in the morning these days to get up and dressed. Emma really wasn’t ready for him to be a teenager yet. Once they had gone to New York, she had memories of raising him, but she still felt like time slipped away from her. Her heart constricted to think of him growing up and leaving home.

She looked over at Regina and not for the first time wondered at the improbability of their friendship. After starting out quite literally at each other’s throats, now she was the only other person in her life who might actually understand thoughts like these. She felt the urge to say something, to let her friend know what she was thinking, but couldn’t quite find the words. Instead, as they turned down Mifflin Street towards the house, she offered, “This was really nice, Regina. Want to go again tomorrow morning”

“That would be lovely.”

 *****

They went again the next day, and the next. After the fifth day in a row, Emma changed her “see you tomorrow” from a question to a statement. By the time three weeks had passed, Emma couldn’t imagine starting her day any other way. Not that she’d want to. That hour or so every morning became an oasis of calm during a time that was otherwise overwhelming.

They didn’t talk much, and when they did it was usually about Henry. The silence was comfortable, healing even. It wasn’t that they couldn’t broach the deeper subjects, it was just that some things didn’t need to be said. Emma was still hurting, and she knew Regina was, too. She could see it in her friend’s eyes, a stormy expression flickering in and out so quickly you’d miss it if you weren’t paying attention. But Emma paid attention. Yes, at first it was to make sure she wasn’t about to unleash a fireball or go Evil Queen on them, but it was also because she genuinely cared how Regina was doing. So Emma made a habit of stealing glances at her as they walked, knowing her friend was too wrapped up in her own thoughts to notice. And she could see that things were just as hard for Regina as they sometimes were for her.

One morning after a particularly rough night, though, Emma decided she needed to talk about it. She waited until they were a few blocks into the walk and then spoke up.

“Sometimes I wish I could just run away and never come back. And I think I would, except that I know it wouldn’t help. I could run and run, but my heart would still hurt, and I’d still feel empty.”

Regina looked at her sharply.

“I’m not going to run away for real, Regina. I just feel like I want to sometimes,” Emma replied, exasperated.

“I know that, Emma.” Regina’s tone was much kinder than Emma had expected and she let her defensiveness cool down. Regina continued, “I looked at you that way because I know exactly what you mean. I’ve been thinking the same thing – that everything I want to do – to run, to make someone pay for what happened – none of it will actually help. I’ll still feel it.”

She paused. “It’s helpful to know I’m not alone in thinking that way,” she finished quietly.

Emma nodded. “Yeah, exactly. At least I don’t have to explain everything to you. You get it, in a way my parents really just don’t.”

“No, they don’t understand, not really. Nobody does. Except you.”

Emma smiled sadly. “We’re a regular lonely hearts club, aren’t we?”

As Regina laughed at that, Emma’s smile widened and she could feel a little of the past night’s darkness begin to fade.

Their walk continued on as usual, but when they got back to the house, Emma surprised her friend by grabbing her elbow and pulling her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around the other woman and felt her body relax. Regina pulled Emma ever so slightly closer and whispered, “thank you, I needed that.”

“I did, too,” she replied. “That’s why I did it.”

They stepped back from one another, and let their hands slowly trail down each other’s arms as they said goodbye.

Emma walked towards her car feeling lighter than she had in days, and wasted no energy wondering why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fans of Jennifer Morrison may note a small tribute to her short film, Warning Labels, in this chapter. :)


	4. Chapter 4

As the summer wore on and life in Storybrooke continued on, as mundane and magical as ever, Emma began to settle in to what she understood was her new normal. She sensed that it was Regina’s presence as well as the fact of a routine that was comforting to her. She had never had the opportunity to establish routines at any point in her life. To be honest the idea of doing the same thing every day usually scared her shitless, but their walks didn’t feel stifling at all. They were what held her together through this period of time where everything else seemed out of control and more than she could handle: a daily reminder that she was going to get through this by relying on her people, and not by running away. And some days she was fine. The pain of losing Killian had dulled, and there was a lot in her life that made her happy. Some days were still bad, but having time and space to feel however she was feeling helped her navigate the ups and downs.

She and Regina had always had a certain amount of tension between them, and as their relationship had taken on this deeper connection, that tension had turned into a playful banter. Emma loved watching her friend squirm at her teasing, and smirk at her dumb jokes. And when she finally made Regina laugh, which happened more and more often these days, she basked in the radiant smile which rewarded her. At some point they began to start each day with a hug, and end their walk the same way. “Hugging it out,” as Emma insisted on calling it, entirely because she knew it annoyed Regina. Emma smiled at that thought as she pulled the car into Regina’s driveway on a particularly warm July morning.

Regina opened the door as Emma came up the stairs.

“Good morning, sunshine!” Emma chirped, the expected look of disdain on her friend’s face making her grin wider.  As they embraced, though, Emma could feel how tense she was.

They pulled away from each other, and Emma looked at her carefully. “What’s up?”

Regina closed the door and started them on their walk. They both felt better talking about feelings while in motion.

“I couldn’t sleep again last night.”

“Nightmares?”

Regina nodded. “I tossed and turned for a while and when I finally fell asleep I had that one about the void again. Needless to say I gave up sleeping after that. I’ve been up since 4.”

“I’m sorry, Regina. Does anything help?”

“This does. You do.”

Well that was unexpected, thought Emma. But she felt warmth spread through her to know that Regina valued this time together as much as she did. Sensing that this was not the time for teasing, she instead put her arm around Regina’s shoulder and pulled her close for a moment before trailing her fingers down to fit their hands together. Occasionally they held hands on their walks when one of them was feeling particularly vulnerable. They’d never talked about it, and it felt so natural that neither of them questioned it.

“I know I’ve said this before, Regina, but I’ll say it again. Robin is in a better place. Our whole family is held together by hope, and all of us believe that he is. And this is me talking – the reluctant believer. If even I have hope, then it must be true.”

Regina nodded and drifted just a bit closer to Emma, finding comfort in the warmth of her body and the bright summer sunshine around them.

“God, it is so beautiful out today.” Emma looked across the sand towards the ocean. “Want to go splash around in the waves?”

“No.”

Emma looked over at her friend and spied the mischievous light her eyes. OK, maybe it was time for some teasing after all.

“Come on, Regina! Is the Queen too good to go wading in the harbor? Should we summon a royal guard to make sure you don’t get splashed by the big waves?”

Regina shoved Emma playfully, but much harder than she’d meant to, and they both stumbled across the sand laughing. Emma recovered first and ran towards the waves, where she pulled off her tennis shoes and socks and ran right into the ocean, enjoying the feeling of cold water on hot skin. Regina followed at a safe distance, kicking her flats off and walking slowly into the shallows.

Emma came splashing up, eliciting a gleeful scream from Regina as she drenched her in the process. Soon they were splashing each other like children, emerging from the water cold and sopping wet, and perfectly content. They found a flat rock in the sun to warm up before walking back. Emma sat with her arm protectively behind Regina’s back, both looking out at the horizon. As Regina leaned into the contact, Emma noticed the drastic change in her mood from earlier this morning. She felt proud of her ability to bring out the playful side of this focused, intense woman.

Emma rested her chin on Regina’s shoulder, and at the touch she leaned back so their heads were just touching. They sat quietly in this intimate position for a moment. Gradually it sunk in how they must look – like a pair of intertwined lovers - thought Emma, and she held her breath. What were they doing? This wasn’t normally how friends acted, was it? She hadn’t had many friends in her life, but she sure knew that this was not how things usually went. At the same time, the physical contact felt really good, and strangely familiar, though they’d never done this before.

Regina tensed up, apparently thinking along similar lines, although she made no move to rearrange them.

Emma really didn’t want to apologize for herself, but couldn’t think of anything else to say to break the tension in the air.

“I’m sorry, Regina. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” She leaned away, putting distance between their bodies and instantly missing the warmth and closeness.

Regina sighed. “You didn’t. I made me uncomfortable. I was perfectly fine until...”

Emma looked at her. “Until what?”

“Well, what if somebody saw us? What would they think?”

“They’d think we were two people enjoying each other’s company?”

Her sad attempt at humor was met with a withering look. She deserved that.

“I know. You’re right. I didn’t mean anything by it, though. It just felt right in the moment. But I won’t do it if you’re not comfortable.”

Regina was quiet for a moment. “No, I really like getting to be affectionate with you,” she said finally. “I just worry that it’s not appropriate for friends to do that.”

Both of them sensed that this could be a moment of truth, and neither of them chose to pursue it. Instead, Emma replied “well, don’t worry. It’s just us, and we should do whatever makes us happy.” And right then she almost believed it could be that simple.

Regina reached out and gently placed her hand on top of Emma’s. “I’m very glad we’re friends, Miss Sawn.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: sexy times ahead! This chapter earns the work its Mature rating. :)

The Charmings had been hosting family game nights for a while, particularly during the summer when everyone was out of school. This time, though, Emma wanted to host. Her house felt big and empty these days, and she wanted to bring the joy and ridiculousness of game night in to cheer it up.

They were going through a Monopoly phase, much to Emma’s chagrin. Henry and Snow seemed to have an unlimited supply of patience, whereas she and her father got antsy and eventually ended up losing on purpose so they could get up and do other things. Regina most often won.

Tonight, however, her father’s competitive spirit kicked in, and he and Regina went toe to toe, David finally emerging victorious after a grueling two hour match. Even Emma had to admit it was fun to watch, though. She marveled at the friendly banter between those two, only getting less than friendly on two occasions, and both of those frankly warranted on David’s part as Regina pulled some sneaky stunt in the game to screw him over.

As the evening drew to a close, Emma hugged her parents and Henry, and gave Regina a quick touch on the arm goodbye. They were pretty reserved around each other in public, and even with the rest of their little family. No need to complicate things by inviting everyone else’s opinions. Emma retreated to the kitchen to start in on dishes, and sighed as she heard the front door close. It had definitely helped to have her family in her house, and even the clean-up didn’t feel quite so bad right now.

She felt a hand on her arm and jumped, heart thumping and reflexes at the ready. She whipped around to see Regina standing there in her bare feet, looking just as startled as Emma felt.

“Regina! Jesus, what are you doing here? You scared the shit out of me!”

“Sorry, I figured you would have heard me come in. I thought I’d help clean up.”

Emma relaxed immediately and asked, “Is Henry with you?”

“No, I sent him to stay the night with his grandparents. They’re all going on a hike tomorrow anyway, so they can start the day together.”

Emma studied her. Had Regina just contrived to have a night alone with her? On the one hand, every nerve in her body lit up at that possibility. On the other hand, what the hell were they doing? Neither of them was completely over the losses they’d suffered, and she wasn’t sure it was the best idea to change the terms of their relationship at this point. OK, Swan, she thought, you’re getting way ahead of yourself. She probably really just wanted to help with the dishes.

As they set about cleaning the kitchen, they rehashed the evening pleasantly, Emma getting in a few jibes about Regina’s trash talk to her father. Not that she didn’t agree with a couple of them, but still, she had to defend his honor.

As she toweled down the last of the dishes, Emma stole a glance at Regina, wondering what her intentions were once they were done. She didn’t have to wonder long, though. As she hung the dish towel on the rack, she felt Regina’s arms snake around her from behind. She twisted around to pull them closer, bending to nuzzle her face into dark, fragrant hair, not caring right now if this was appropriate friend behavior or not.

“Emma,” Regina whispered.

Emma closed her eyes. The way Regina said her name made her want to hear it again and again. She pulled her head back so she could look her in the eyes. Fuck it, she thought, this may be the worst idea I’ve ever had, but I desperately want to kiss this woman. And if Regina’s searching gaze was any indication, she desperately wanted to kiss her, too.

So Emma reached up and cupped her cheek as she pressed their lips together, moaning softly as soft lips returned her kiss eagerly. Guess Regina wasn’t just here to help with dishes, she thought, and smiled.

They pulled away for a moment and looked up. Silently communicating their consent to continue, they pulled each other in for another kiss, this one quickly deepening with open mouths and searching tongues. It was Regina who moaned this time, and at that Emma’s desire spiked up and she pushed them towards the wall, gently pressing into Regina as she let her hands wander down the enticing curves of her body.

Emma trailed her mouth down over the exposed flesh of Regina’s neck, attuned to the places that made her breath hitch. When she found one right above her collar bone, she felt Regina thread her hands into her hair and pull ever so slightly. Emma moaned loudly, and looked up.

“I love having my hair pulled.”

She was rewarded with a sly grin, and she felt her hands tighten and start to tug. Emma closed her eyes and let her head get pulled back and forth a couple times before she returned to that collar bone spot to continue exploring this gorgeous body. They continued with neck and hair, content to have found something that made both of them feel so good right away.

As Emma trailed her kisses lower, she pushed aside Regina’s collar just a bit and looked up to make sure she was still OK. This was hot, and she could feel the neediness pulsing just below the surface in both of them, but this also wasn’t just some random hook-up. This was Regina, who had become one of the most important people in her life over the past few months.

In answer to the silent question, Regina pulled Emma back up to standing and draped her arms around her neck, gently caressing the blonde waves in front of her.

“Emma,” she whispered. “I want this. I want you. But is this the right thing to do?”

Emma rested their foreheads together and pulled her closer. “I’m not sure. I want you, too, but I don’t know if it’s a good idea.”

“Maybe we should wait. See if we still want it after we’re a little more … clear headed?”

Emma nodded. That sounded rational, even though every part of her body screamed no, she had to have this woman now. So she placed a quiet kiss on the lips in front of her, and offered Regina a hand.

“Let’s just cuddle on the couch and watch a movie?”

“That sounds wonderful.”

 

Emma picked some movie – honestly she was not paying it any attention, with her hormones raging and this beautiful creature next to her, skin thrumming with heat just like her own. But Regina was right – they shouldn’t rush into something just because the moment felt right.

They sat in the corner of the couch, Emma’s arm around Regina’s shoulders, opposite hands joined, and tried to concentrate on the movie.

About twenty minutes in, Regina disentangled her hand and started to stroke up and down the thigh it rested on. Gently at first, but with more pressure and intention as she kept going. Emma closed her eyes and shivered at the touch. Taking it as a sign that Regina was still as turned on as she was, she moved her hand up over the other woman’s shoulder and started to tease the exposed skin around her shirt collar. Regina inched closer, obviously encouraging the touch. Emma ran her hand back and forth over the silky skin, slowly dipping farther and farther under the shirt until she finally slipped her hand under Regina’s bra to palm her breast. Regina gasped and pushed her back firmly into Emma’s chest. Emma let her hand enjoy the feel of the soft flesh, and as she felt the nipple harden under her fingers, she began to squeeze and pinch just enough to make Regina throw her head back and moan.

As Emma pulled her hand back out of her shirt, planning to start again on the other side, Regina lurched off the couch and had snapped the TV off before Emma could recover. She unbuttoned two buttons and pulled her shirt off over her head, climbing back onto the couch, facing Emma this time and straddling her lap.

She leaned in, pressing her chest against the fabric of Emma’s shirt. “I want you, Emma. Now.”

Emma didn’t need to be told twice, and she locked her lips to Regina’s as she reached around to unhook her bra. Taking the liberated breasts in her hands, she then bent to lavish attention on them with her mouth. This worked them both up to a fever pitch, and Emma moved back to press their lips together as she ran her hand up the muscled thighs and hiked Regina’s skirt up as far as it would go. She took a moment to appreciate the shapely ass so conveniently sitting in hand’s reach before tugging on soaking panties. Regina pulled them off one leg at a time, with surprising agility.

Normally Emma liked to tease, but she could feel wetness spreading across her thighs where Regina was perched, and couldn’t wait another second to touch its source. Reaching down, she pulled two fingers through the damp curls, eliciting a shudder from the woman above her. She did it again, earning a drawn out “fuuuuuuck.”

Emma grinned. Regina did not swear. Except during sex, it seemed. And the knowledge that she was about to discover even more secrets made her speed up her caresses, exploring this enchanting woman. With one hand she circled and swirled, swiping gently across sensitive flesh until she came to a spot that made Regina throw her head back and make quite a lot of noise. At that, Emma took her other hand and raked it down her lover’s back with just enough bite from her nails that she could feel Regina’s skin shivering under her touch. She continued stroking and circling, as Regina clearly remembered their conversation from earlier and grabbed Emma by the hair much more roughly than she had before. But Emma loved it and joined her in vocalizing her pleasure.

“Inside me, Emma. I want you inside me.”

Now it was Emma’s turn to swear: “Fuck, Regina. Yes.”

She concentrated on her fingers and slid one easily into the waiting channel. Pulling towards her gently, she could feel how slick the hot velvet was inside, and quickly removed one finger to replace it with two.

“Oh God, Emma.” Yes, that was the right choice. Emma continued pushing in and pulling gently towards her, and as she increased her speed, she added her thumb against the outside, watching as Regina’s hands gripped her hair, her eyes closed and her mouth open.

“God, Regina. You are so hot fucking my fingers like that.”

Regina’s hips began to buck against her hand and she whimpered Emma’s name over and over again. She bent down to claim a kiss, but broke it swiftly to gasp for air as electric shocks of pleasure ripped through her body and left her shuddering, her head collapsed onto the shoulder in front of her. Emma kept her fingers moving just enough to pull a second shudder from her body, leaving her panting and sweating, leaning her whole weight on Emma’s body.

Emma trailed her fingers over Regina’s back, moving with the rise and fall of it as she caught her breath. She stuffed down a moment of panic as the reality of what had just happened, and hopefully was going to continue happening, rose to the surface of her mind. They could process this later. For right now she was going to enjoy the incredible feel of this woman’s body pressed tightly to hers, the damp strands of hair tickling her face, and the heady scent of arousal from both of them going straight to her center and making her breathless.

Regina stirred from her post-orgasm haze and smiled at Emma. Not a sweet smile, either, but something closer to predatory. If Emma had been standing she would have gone weak in the knees at that look. As it was she was suddenly desperate to get out of her clothes. Luckily Regina saw the look on her face, and started ripping her shirt open, pushing her bra down far enough to start licking and sucking and oh God, biting Emma’s breasts. Forgetting about her clothes for the moment, she just opened her legs a little wider so she could wrap herself around Regina’s hips, pulling her close as she threw her head back and enjoyed the sensations spiking through her body.

“Too many clothes,” she finally managed to get out between breathy sighs. Regina grinned and stood up, leaning over to pull Emma’s shirt and bra all the way off. She then unbuttoned the impossibly tight pants and began tugging to get them off. As things became less and less graceful, Emma finally laughed, “You were much better at this part than I am.”

“Can’t argue with that, dear,” Regina purred, and Emma felt her legs finally free. She grabbed Regina by the waist and pulled her back onto her lap, both of them sighing at the skin to skin contact that felt so, so good. They kissed, more sweetly this time, but it quickly deepened to passionate and Emma felt Regina’s hands roam over her body, lightly scratching her skin.

As Regina moved her mouth and tongue to Emma’s neck, she whispered “You taste so good, Miss Swan. I bet you taste even better down here,” and she placed her open palm over Emma’s pulsing center, making Emma twitch and gasp softly. She nodded her consent, and Regina knelt in front of her as she trailed her tongue down Emma’s body, exploring curves and angles, stopping to nip and suck particularly sensitive places. By the time her mouth reached its destination, Emma was dripping wet and panting in anticipation.

As she made contact, they both moaned, and Emma gently put her hand on Regina’s head, urging her to continue. And continue she did. Regina ate pussy like she did everything else – with passion, determination, and flair. At one point she pulled her mouth away for a second, returning to suck Emma’s clit hard, releasing it with the barest of touches from her teeth. Emma jumped so hard at that, she had to fling her hands out to steady herself on the couch. Regina grinned up at her and did it again, this time holding her thighs firmly in her hands to keep the connection. It didn’t take long before Emma could feel the tingling in her body coalescing into a powerful orgasm, and when she came, hard, she actually, literally screamed. She wasn’t sure she’d ever done that before.

But Regina wasn’t done with her. As Emma rode out the spasms, she gently pushed two fingers inside, feeling the way Emma’s walls gripped around her. She quickly wiped some of the arousal from her chin on the back of her hand and, leaving her fingers where they were, maneuvered her body up so she could attach her lips to a puckered nipple. Emma’s desire spiked up again immediately and she bucked her hips against Regina’s hands to encourage her to move. She obliged, pumping her fingers in and out in a perfectly intense rhythm.

Emma wrapped her legs around Regina’s back once more, and added her arms around her waist to pull her even closer. It had been so long since she’d felt the comfort of another body so gloriously in tune with her own. In that moment, her heart skipped a beat as she realized not only how long Killian had been gone, but that the pain had eventually faded, and here she was sharing this kind of intimacy with someone else. But rather than pull away, her heart relaxed into the duality of her feelings, and she felt tears begin to run down her cheeks even at the same time as she tipped over into ecstasy.

Regina watched all of this happen on Emma’s face, and as Emma shuddered and wept, she moved to pull her fingers out, but stopped at the whispered “No.” So instead she settled herself onto her lover’s chest, resting her head over Emma’s heart, and just lay there, their bodies intimately connected. Emma squeezed her tight as aftershocks and soft sobs rippled through her body, finally feeling more at peace than she had in, well, a long time. The sexual and emotional release left her empty in the best way – devoid of anxious thoughts and emotional walls, and simply there, able to experience her feelings in a raw, but welcome, way.

Eventually, her tears dried out and she shifted so Regina could pull her fingers out. They stayed close, though, and rested in their own thoughts for several minutes. Emma felt Regina lift her head, and a subtle shift in the atmosphere told her the reality of what had just happened was quickly rising to the surface between them. Regina climbed off the couch and wordlessly began searching for her clothes. As content as she had been a minute ago, Emma felt the panic return and avoided looking at the other woman as she pulled on her underwear and bra. By the time she got her pants back on, though, she’d come to a decision.

Sitting back down on the couch, she grabbed Regina’s hand and gently steered her to sit sideways on her lap again. “Hey,” she said gently, finding the dark eyes and willing them to meet her gaze. “Thank you for tonight. I know this changes things, but I’m glad we did it. It felt right, and it felt good.”

At that Regina smirked, her face looking like her own again as the anxiety was replaced with a playful confidence Emma had come to delight in. “Hey, smirk all you want. I will freely admit that you are very good at that.” Emma’s brain was distracted for a moment with the thought that this was clearly not the first time Regina had had sex with a woman, and at some point it would be worth asking about that.

Shaking that fascinating thought off, Emma put a hand on Regina’s cheek said more seriously, “So are you OK?”

Regina’s lips quivered for a moment but she gave a small nod. “I’ll admit I’m a little freaked out, but I’ll be OK.” She brought her hand to cover Emma’s, “This has been a very enjoyable night.” Emma smiled and let that be the end of it for the moment.

They gathered their clothes and chatted about nothing, leaving the implications of the night to wait for the morning. There was one more nearly awkward moment at the door as Regina was leaving, but Emma saw it coming and pulled her in tight for a passionate kiss before opening the door. That felt safer than anything sweet or tender right then, and Regina responded immediately, pushing herself against Emma’s chest before pulling away with a grin. Emma could practically hear her say “always leave them wanting more” as she flounced past her into the night.

Emma shut the door and leaned against it, groaning as sense memories washed over her from everywhere Regina had touched her. This was probably going to get complicated tomorrow, but for right now, she was extremely satisfied.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Emma awoke at dawn as usual, but this time with a quiver of excitement in her belly. She had half expected to regret things today, but thankfully her brain decided to let her have this one, and all she felt was an overwhelming urge to see Regina again. Emma hoped she shared her positive feelings about the direction they’d taken things last night.

They hadn’t talked about whether they would take their morning walk, but Emma didn’t think about it much as she had a quick snack, grabbed her keys and headed out the door as usual. At this point she wouldn’t know what to do with herself if she didn’t start the morning off this way.

Somewhere between her house and Regina’s, though, doubt crept in. What if Regina was more freaked out this morning, and didn’t want to see her? Was showing up at her doorstep less than twelve hours after they had sex too clingy? God, what if this ruined everything?

Her fears got the better of her, and instead of knocking and letting herself in like usual, she just parked her car in front of the house and waited. Eventually, Regina would see her sitting there and either come out or not. And Emma would have her answer.

Less than two minutes later, the front door opened, and Regina stepped onto the porch in bare feet. She caught Emma’s attention and waved her into the house. Emma practically leapt out of the car, slowing as she approached the steps and taking a deep breath to quiet her rising anxiety. Get it together, Swan, she thought. It’s just Regina. And she wouldn’t have invited you in if she never wanted to see you again.

Regina was sitting on the landing lacing up her shoes as Emma walked in. She stood just inside the door, suddenly shy and having absolutely no idea what to say.

“Hi,” she managed.

“Good morning.” Regina stood up and pulled on a cardigan, looking anywhere but the waiting green eyes. Emma couldn’t stand the awkwardness in the air, though, and she shoved her fears aside and crossed to Regina, pulling her into a tight embrace. She was rewarded with a soft sigh as Regina traced her shoulder blades and pressed herself into Emma’s chest.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Regina said softly into Emma’s hair.

“Me too. I wasn’t sure if you’d want to walk after, you know, last night.”

Regina pulled them apart and gave Emma a half smile as she walked out the door. Their walks seemed to exist a little outside of normal life, and the conversation they knew they needed to have today would go better in a space set apart.

Emma put all of her energy into patiently waiting for Regina to speak. She knew she would, and wanted to give her space to feel ready. Not that it wasn’t agony, wondering what she was going to say. But Emma was somewhat encouraged at how things had gone so far this morning.

Regina stayed silent for a few blocks, but as they turned off the street onto the path to the woods, she wordlessly took Emma’s hand and intertwined their fingers. Emma breathed a small sigh of relief; whatever Regina had to say couldn’t be that bad if she could say it while holding hands.

When Regina finally spoke, her voice was guarded but steady. “I very much enjoyed being with you last night. I didn’t expect things to go in that direction, but it was wonderful.”

Emma squeezed her hand in encouragement and smiled.

Regina continued, “Although I suppose if I’m honest, I probably could have seen it coming.” She pulled their joined hands up as evidence, and they both laughed a little.

Her face fell suddenly serious. “What are we doing, Emma? Is it too soon? I still …” she trailed off.

“Love Robin?” Emma finished for her. “I know. And I still love Hook. I probably always will.”

She knew this was the moment to lay it all out on the line – everything that had been stirring in her for weeks now, though she didn’t admit it to herself until last night. When Regina had left, she’d gone to bed and thought through how they’d gotten to this place. This wasn’t rebound sex – that would have happened months ago, and honestly might have if one of them hadn’t always had Henry by her side at that time. Good thing, too, because that would have certainly made things impossible going forward.

No, this connection was about a shared understanding, a way of looking at the world. The physical closeness had grown out of that connection, and not the other way around. Would they be here if Robin and Hook were still alive? Absolutely not. But they weren’t, and so here she was. Emma still didn’t quite have the words to describe what she was feeling, but she knew that she had to try anyway. This relationship was too important to her not to.

She took a deep breath and picked up where she left off. “I don’t know if it’s too soon, Regina, but I do know that I wouldn’t have made it through these months without you. I’ve started to feel like we’re in this together, you know? At first it was about grieving together, but now it feels like there’s more to it than that. This connection we have – it’s really important to me. And I felt like last night was just another thing we got to share. So I don’t know what we’re doing. But I like it and I want it to continue.”

She stopped, fairly satisfied with that attempt at explaining herself. Regina didn’t respond right away, but she pulled their joined hands towards her and held them against her belly in a gesture so intimate and tender it made Emma’s heart melt. She could feel soft fingers stroking her wrist, and lost herself in the sensation for a moment.

She was brought back to reality with Regina’s words: “Thank you for telling me all of that. I know it’s not easy to talk about, but it … makes a lot of sense to me.”

She stopped walking and turned to face Emma, looking up at her with an affection she generally reserved only for Henry.

 ‘Family,’ thought Emma, and smiled. “Maybe we don’t need to know what this is,” she offered. “Maybe we just need to let it be good.”

In answer, Regina closed the gap between them and kissed her tenderly. She pulled her lips away just far enough to murmur, “Alright, Miss Swan. We’ll see where this goes,” before bringing them together again and kissing her sweetly.


	7. Chapter 7

Things continued mostly as they had before, with a few key differences. They still took walks every morning; that space and time had taken on a certain sacred quality that was only interrupted by the most pressing situations. They held hands or found other ways to be touching nearly all the time as they walked, but never more than that. By unspoken agreement they kept the sexual part of their relationship separate, leaving mornings for that invitation to silence or conversation that had become so essential to them both. Although they did begin and end their walks inside Regina’s house now, to enjoy a lingering kiss away from potentially prying eyes. It went without saying that they were not going to tell anybody about the direction things had taken, though by this point everyone knew that the Mayor and Sherriff went for walks every morning, and thought nothing of it. The two had been friends for a while, and everyone understood how they’d grown closer after the tragedies they endured.

They found excuses to see each other frequently, carving out evenings together by finding other things for Henry to do. When he stayed overnight at his Grandparents’ place, which he did every week or so, they made good use of the empty house. Regina more often found herself at Emma’s place for these evening visits, probably because they met at her house every morning, so it only seemed fair.

One crisp fall morning after an entirely silent walk in the misty woods, Emma held on as tight as she could when Regina pulled her in for a sweet kiss in the entryway of her house. Regina laid their foreheads and together and murmured, “what’s wrong, Emma?”

Emma shrugged. Honestly she couldn’t say what was bothering her – she just felt like everything was wrong and everyone wanted her to fix it and she couldn’t.

“I don’t know. I guess I’m just out of sorts today.” She sighed. “I really don’t want to face the world right now.”

Regina brushed her fingers over Emma’s cheek. “Then let the world wait for a while longer.”

She took her by the hand and walked silently towards the stairs. Emma followed, registering where she was being taken about halfway up the staircase. She’d never actually been in Regina’s bedroom. When she came over in the evenings they rarely made it past the living room or study. Or kitchen. She could feel herself getting aroused just thinking about that time in the kitchen last week. A small part of the fog around her spirit lifted as they entered Regina’s room and sat next to each other on the edge of the bed.

Emma looked around the impeccably kept and elegantly styled room, which managed to feel welcoming despite its manicured look. A lot like Regina herself, thought Emma. She looked back around and could see that Regina was holding her breath, as if awaiting judgment. Emma leaned closer and took her up in her arms again.

“Thank you for bringing me into your space. It suits you.”

“You think so? I like it. I feel safe here. And I wanted you to feel safe here, too.”

Emma burrowed her face into Regina’s neck. “I do feel safe here. With you.”

“I’m glad.” Regina scooted them back so they could lie down, resting Emma’s head on her chest. Inexplicably, Emma felt tears spring to her eyes as soft hands caressed her hair. She grounded herself in the sound of her lover’s heartbeat and the even rhythm of her breathing and let the tears fall silently down her face. Slowly the moment passed, and she relaxed and brought herself back to where she was right now. This was part of what made their relationship work so well: Regina made space for her to feel whatever she was feeling. No questions asked. If she didn’t want to explain, she didn’t have to. And sometimes knowing that someone else was there was all she needed anyway. She raised her head and looked into dark eyes.

“Hi.”

“Hi. How are you doing?”

“Better now, thanks to you,” Emma said with a smile.

Regina smiled back at her – one of her wide, genuine smiles that not many people got to see. “I’m glad. I like having you here.”

Emma turned over and positioned herself on top of Regina, with as much of them touching as possible. She swept her hair away from her face and leaned in for a kiss. She felt the lithe body beneath her respond immediately. Whatever it was they were doing, their bodies had gotten to know each other very well over the months. Emma reveled in how well she knew exactly how to make Regina feel amazing.

Emma kissed her lover deeply, letting the whirl of emotions inside her travel through that physical connection. She felt Regina slide her hands under her shirt and softly caress her bare skin. She shivered pleasantly and sat up to let Regina pull her shirt off over her head.

“You too,” she said, bending to unbutton the silky fabric in front of her. Normally Regina would take over at this point, losing patience at the slow way Emma unhooked every button. But today she let her take her time, and Emma slowed down even more, pausing to caress the skin being revealed bit by bit. As the last button gave way, she bent to place soft kisses on the exposed stomach, ribs, and collarbone. Regina’s hands tangled in her long hair, not pulling, just creating a connection.

Emma reached under Regina to unhook her bra, trailing her hands along smooth skin as she pulled it and the shirt completely off. She bent to claim another kiss, and Regina took the opportunity to pull Emma’s bra off as well. The sudden warmth as the last barriers between their torsos fell away had both of them groaning and pulling each other in closer. Regina’s hands began to wander up and down Emma’s back, mapping out the angles of her bones and muscles. Emma closed her eyes and breathed deeply, the touch reaching in and unwinding something deep within her.

“Take off the rest of your clothes,” Regina murmured to her as she sat them up. “I want to feel all of you.”

Emma hurried to do just that, and when she’d finished, she took Regina’s outstretched hand and let herself be laid down on her back. Regina draped her now naked body across Emma’s, swapping their positions from before. She then propped herself on one arm and, starting at the top, methodically traced every limb, every curve, every stretch of Emma’s skin with her hand. Emma had never had so much attention paid to her body like this – positive attention, that is. At first it felt odd, and a little exposed, but then it felt incredible, and she closed her eyes to focus on the sensation of being caressed so thoroughly.

This was new for them. They were very sweet and tender on walks and cuddled each other happily, but when they had sex it was passionate and intense. Sure, they teased sometimes (well, Regina teased Emma. Neither of them had the patience for it to go the other way). But this wasn’t teasing. All morning Emma had had a sense that something was shifting between them, and this incredibly intimate moment solidified that sense. It wasn’t a bad shift, either, just new.

When Regina had finished her exploration, she inched closer to Emma and let her hand come to rest at the cleft of her thighs. Emma’s eyes fluttered open and she smiled and nodded at her lover. No matter how hot or intense things got, they always checked in like this. There had in fact been days when Emma said no, content to kiss and touch, but not wanting to go farther. And as in all aspects of their growing relationship, Regina didn’t question this, but simply went along with whatever Emma needed.

Right now, though, Emma needed to touch her. So she disentangled a hand and dragged it along Regina’s body, feeling its heat. She mirrored Regina’s actions and came to rest on top of the deliciously damp curls between her thighs. Regina nodded and propped her leg up to give Emma better access. The angles were awkward, but as they touched and caressed each other, Emma lost track of everything except the feel of slick heat on her fingers and the sweet shivers of pleasure from gentle hands massaging her sex. As they moved together, their breathing lined up until the rise and fall of their chests matched the push and pull of their fingers. Emma could feel the connection between them as a palpable thing, and wasn’t sure if the strength of it filled her more with joy or fear. Probably equal parts of both.

They spiraled up, their breathing getting faster and faster, and Regina grabbed onto a fistful of Emma’s hair, as if to anchor herself there. Emma responded in kind, also feeling the need to be grounded as her body tipped over into orgasm. Regina followed right behind, and they clung to each other as they rode out the release.

After she caught her breath, Emma pulled on the hair still tangled in her hand to bring Regina’s lips to her own. She kissed her deeply, then broke apart and arranged their limbs to be comfortably intertwined.

“Wow,” breathed Regina. “That was … incredible.”

“Yeah. Yeah it was.” Emma grinned up at her, a playful mood bubbling up after the emotional intensity of the morning. “So I guess that means I’ll be invited back up here again?”

“Oh yes, I think that can be arranged.”

Emma leaned in as if to kiss her again but at the last moment turned and planted the kiss, wet and sloppy, on her cheek instead. This got both of them giggling, so Emma placed more sloppy kisses anywhere she could reach, while Regina feigned annoyance and tried, ineffectively, to push her away.

Eventually it really was time to get up and face the day. But Emma was much more ready to do it now than she had been a few hours ago. She marveled once again at the effect this woman had on her. Less than a year ago she never would have guessed how much she would come to rely on her for, well, everything.

They cleaned themselves up and Emma gathered her things. She lingered a moment more in the entryway, cradling Regina’s warmth in her arms before letting her go and heading out the door. She got about three steps down the walk when the door opened and Regina called her name. Her voice was still soft and low – the voice she used when it was just them. Emma had forgotten her jacket, and Regina held it out for her. Caught up in the moment, Emma took the jacket in one hand and scooped her lover up in the other, kissing her soundly. Regina smiled into the kiss and swatted at her playfully.

“Emma?” This voice did not belong to either of them, and they both froze for half a second before springing apart.

Emma turned to see, of course, her mother walking up the path to the house.

“Mom! Hi!” she tried, and failed, to sound casual. “What are you doing here?”

“Henry texted to see if I could pick up a book from his room here and bring it to school with me. I didn’t expect you to still be here.”

Emma’s mind drew a blank. Luckily Regina was a much more practiced liar, and she swooped in with a passable excuse about town council business. Emma nodded, probably a little too enthusiastically, and disentangled herself from the situation as quickly as possible. Before she drove away, she watched Regina grab the book that Henry had in fact left on the dining room table, and shoo Snow on her way. Emma drove off to the Sherriff’s station and tried her best not to panic.


	8. Chapter 8

The good part about being the Sheriff was that sometimes duty called at exactly the right moment. Emma had never been so happy to respond to a call from Leroy, as it kept her mercifully distracted all morning. (Leroy had gotten his car stuck in a ditch, and it had taken the tow-truck and a fair amount of elbow grease to get it out.) By the time she got back to the station for lunch, Emma’s panic about events from earlier in the day had subsided to a low-level anxiety, which felt manageable. She was a little concerned that she hadn’t heard from Regina at all, but was going with the “no news is good news” philosophy.

That reprieve ended, though, when her phone rang and Snow’s number came up. Emma considered ignoring it, but she knew her mother would just worry if she didn’t pick up, so she grabbed the phone on its last ring.

“Hi Mom, how are you?” Maybe she could redirect the conversation to something else.

“Fine, Emma. Can I come over to your place for a bit tonight? I feel like maybe we should talk.” Well, there went that thought. She sighed. Might as well get it over with. Honestly it might be good to talk to someone about this. As happy as she was when she was around Regina, when she sat and thought about what was happening, she could get her thoughts tied in knots in no time. And her mother did give good advice.

“Sure, Mom. Come over whenever.”

“Great. I’ll have David put Neal to bed and I’ll see you about 7.”

Emma hung up and immediately texted Regina to tell her Snow was coming over that night “to talk.” When she hadn’t heard back 15 minutes later, she added <<I’ll find out what she saw and what she’s thinking. It’ll be fine.>>  When Regina still hadn’t responded 20 minutes after that, Emma’s panic returned. What was going on? Was she OK?

Emma let out a heavy sigh. It had been an emotional roller-coaster of a day, and it was only 2pm. She thought back to the incredible calm of the morning, when she was wrapped up in Regina’s arms in her bed. She could still feel where her soft hands had caressed her body so sweetly. And she could feel the knot in her stomach tightening the longer Regina’s radio silence continued.

Finally, at 5:30pm, Regina texted her back:

<<OK. Let me know how it goes.>>

‘Really?’ thought Emma, ‘after three and a half hours that’s all you have to say?’ She tossed her phone aside in frustration. That decided it; she was going to tell her mother everything tonight. She needed to process all the feelings she was having with someone other than the person inspiring those feelings, and Snow’s interruption had just given her an opportunity to do it.

 

********** 

 

Snow showed up that evening with a bottle of wine and a big smile on her face.

After settling themselves in the living room, Snow jumped right in: “I saw you kissing Regina today. Do you want to tell me what’s going on there?”

Emma squirmed and tried to figure out where to start. She was a little embarrassed to admit how long it had been going on in secret, but heard the kindness in her mother’s voice and launched into the whole story. Snow sat there calmly, asking clarifying questions occasionally, but mostly just listening. It was honestly a huge relief to talk the whole thing out, and Emma found herself saying more than she’d expected to.

She finished up the story with a final thought from today: “The crazy thing is, Mom, I’m really happy when I’m with her. When it’s just the two of us, everything feels more manageable, even when it’s actually a mess. Just being around her makes things better. But then today after you saw us, she totally freaked out and basically ignored me all day. I don’t know what any of it means or what to do about it.”

Snow put her wine glass down. “Can I take a guess as to what might be going on?”

Emma shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

“You love her, but differently than you loved Hook. Or maybe still love Hook. And she loves you, but differently than she loved Robin. And you both know it, and you’re both a little scared of it, too.”

Emma stared at her mother. She’d been studiously avoiding that word, and to hear it come out of Snow’s mouth so easily in reference to her and Regina was disconcerting.

Snow continued, “Emma, I saw how you kissed. No, don’t be embarrassed. There was real tenderness there, and now hearing you talk about it, it’s obvious how much you care about her and your relationship. So of course she’s freaking out right now. She’s afraid of losing you.” She gave Emma a meaningful look. “And you’re afraid of losing her, too. But I know you, Emma. And I know Regina. If you want to make this relationship work, you will find a way to do it.”

Emma really didn’t want to admit it, but her mother had a point. This didn’t feel like it had with Hook. That was an all-consuming, literally give your life for someone kind of love. The kind of love they write books about. And this wasn’t that. But it was something. It was joyful in a way that can only come after getting through enormous sorrow. It was tender, and light, and felt like … family.

Emma put her head on her mother’s shoulder, that simple gesture reinforcing their parent-child bond, which sometimes got obscured in them acting more like friends.

“Thanks, Mom. I think you’re right. Now what do I do about it?”

Snow kissed her daughter’s forehead. “Tell her how you feel.”

 

********** 

 

“YOU TOLD YOUR MOTHER???”

“She saw us, Regina! What was I going to do, deny it?”

“Maybe! Because it’s Snow White! She’s not exactly known for keeping things to herself.”

“Oh no, you do not get to drag us into the past like that. Besides, she came to me and practically laid it all out for me. I just confirmed what she’d already figured out. And she’s fine with it, Regina! More than fine, actually. She helped me understand some things I wasn’t able to work out for myself.”

‘Like why both of us are so upset right now,’ Emma thought but didn’t say.

“You could have asked me first.” Regina’s voice was steely, and Emma found her anger rising.

“When, Regina? When could I have asked you? You ignored me practically all day and then told me to let you know how things went. So I’m letting you know how things went!”

Regina got up and started pacing the room. “Look, Emma. I am just not ready for this.”

Emma whirled around to stare at her. “What the hell is that supposed to mean? Ready for what?!”

“For people to know about us.”

“Why? Are you ashamed to be with me?” Emma knew that wasn’t fair, but she couldn’t stop herself. They’d never talked about any of this or given a name to what they were doing. But somehow being confronted with the option of lying to people about it just felt wrong.

“No, of course I’m not ashamed. I’m just … afraid of what people will think. Or say. Or do.”

Emma softened, her anger subsiding as she heard the fear in Regina’s voice. She got up and took her lover’s hand. “Whatever happens, we’ll face it together. I’m not going to let any of that come between us.”

Regina scoffed, but didn’t take her hand back. “Oh don’t be naïve, Emma. You think nothing will change between us once the whole town has a chance to voice their opinions on it?”

“I mean sure, things might change. But give us a little credit, Regina! I love you, and nothing that anyone says or does is going to change that.”

Emma stopped dead. That was not supposed to come out of her mouth yet, certainly not while they were arguing. For a moment she thought Regina hadn’t heard it, but a second look at her tense features told her she definitely had. Emma stood there in the tense silence, not knowing what to do. Finally she dropped Regina’s hand and turned away, not entirely sure where she was going but just needing to move. Regina stopped her before she could get more than halfway to the door, though.

“Emma, wait. I’m sorry. I …” she trailed off and looked down for a moment before taking Emma’s hand and brushing her lips over it.

Emma leaned in to the soft touch and opened her palm to place it on Regina’s cheek. “I didn’t know that’s what I felt until I talked to my mom last night. But she helped me see that even though I love you differently than Killian, it’s still love. I love you, Regina. And I’m not going to let this go so easily, even if we keep fighting about it for days.”

Regina looked at her, a half smile flashing across her face before a myriad of other emotions took over. She seemed to come to a decision, though, and brought a hand up to place on top of Emma’s, still resting gently on her cheek. “I love you, too, Emma,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.

But Emma heard it loud and clear, and it was as if everything fell into place. This was real, even if it was complicated, and it wasn’t going to disappear overnight just because circumstances had changed. They were going to have to negotiate a lot of things, but Emma knew it would be OK as long as she was anchored in this tender, honest, _loving_ relationship.

Emma put one hand on Regina’s chest, over her heart, and the other one on her own. “I love you because of what we’ve created between us. This space that can handle all of the big, terrible, scary things we’ve been through. I know you feel it, too. So we’re going to be OK, even if things really suck out there, we can be safe in here, together. We’ve proved that already, and I want to trust it. Will you trust it with me, Regina? Will you trust us?”

Regina looked at her with tears in her eyes. She covered both of Emma’s hands with her own, still resting on their beating hearts, and nodded. “I’ll try, Emma. I’ll try to trust us.”

Emma replied, “That’s all I ask,” and disentangled their hands to wrap her arms as far around her lover as they would go. She kissed her once and then rested her head against Regina’s, breathing into the space between them. She could feel that space being filled with the love they’d created out of the emptiness, and she knew that anything was possible because they were in it together.  


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finishing this story in chapter 8, I decided it actually needed a little more to complete the emotional journey. so the last two chapters are some Swan-Mills family feelings.

All it took was a couple of offhand comments in Granny’s and within a day the whole town knew. In some ways Emma was relieved. She really did not want to have to tell people over and over again. How do you bring that up in conversation anyway? Nice weather we’re having and by the way Regina and I have been dating for months? No, she was more than happy to let the Storybrook rumor mill do it for her. Regina agreed, and now Emma was just waiting for something to happen. 

She was at the Sherriff station, and while nobody had brought it up to her explicitly, the awkward conversations and sidelong glances she’d gotten all day told her that her relationship was at the top of everyone’s mind. She sighed, and wondered how Regina was faring. Her phone rang, and she grabbed it, but it wasn’t her. It was Henry’s school. 

Emma drove across town in a daze. Henry had gotten into a fight. A fight! Her son! Her kind-hearted sweet boy actually hit another kid. She tried to keep her emotions under control as she strode into the Principal’s office. She’d met the Principal a few times, but always in the context of town business, never as a parent. It was frankly intimidating as hell, especially since she’d gotten in trouble more than her fair share as a kid, and being here was bringing back some unpleasant memories. 

Emma found Henry slumped in a seat in the office. Principal Sanders was a quiet but stern woman, and she rose to greet Emma with a handshake over her desk. 

“Ms. Swan, come in. Ms. Mills should be here in a moment as well.” 

Emma had just enough time to inspect Henry’s face to assess the damage before Regina came barreling into the office. She looked at Henry, and Emma could see her torn between concern and anger. Principal Sanders stepped in before either could win, though, reaching over the desk to greet Regina the same way she’d greeted Emma. It was a remarkably disarming gesture, Emma noted, one that she’d have to remember. 

“Please sit down, Ms. Mills,” the Principal said, indicating the free chair on the other side of Emma. Regina looked like she was going to argue, so Emma instinctively reached out to grab Regina’s hand and guide her into the chair. It wasn’t until she felt Regina’s fingers squeeze back that she realized this was the first time she’d touched her like that in public, and that Regina had allowed it without question. She let herself enjoy that for half a second before turning her attention back to the matter at hand. 

“As you know, Henry got into a fight today. The other children involved have already been sent home with their parents, and I want you to know that we are disciplining all three of them equally.” 

Emma nodded at this. It seemed fair. 

“However, I wanted both of you here to discuss this further, because of the nature of the altercation. It seems the matter at hand was some … rude comments from the other boys about the two of you and your, er, relationship.” 

Emma’s heart sank. This was her fault. Her son was sitting there with a bloody lip and in trouble at school because of her. She glanced over at Regina and saw a similar look on her face.  

“I’m really sorry about that,” Emma mumbled, looking down. 

“There is no part of this that is your fault, Ms. Swan,” Principal Sanders replied curtly. Emma looked up at her, and she sighed. “Henry, will you wait for us outside?” 

Henry nodded and ducked out the door without looking at his mothers. Emma supposed she couldn’t blame him for that. 

“Please understand,” Principal Sanders continued when the door was shut again, “Henry absolutely did the right thing in stepping in to defend his family. But he shouldn’t have gotten physical, so I have to discipline him for that.” 

Emma nodded. She looked at Regina, who was uncharacteristically quiet. She inclined her head, which Emma took to mean she understood as well, but she had to resist the urge to reach out and takeher hand again. She didn’t want to push it, but she hated to see Regina so buttoned up and tense like that.  

“If I may be frank,” the Principal said, sitting back down at her desk. “The whole town is talking about you two right now, but in another couple of weeks the whole town will be talking about something else. What I’m concerned about is Henry getting through the worst of it, and learning what to let go and what to engage with. I’d encourage the three of you to have a conversation about some ways to diffuse these kinds of situations with words and not violence.” 

Emma looked at Regina out of the corner of her eye, but it was clear she wasn’t going to be much help here.  

“Sure, we can definitely do that. Is there … is there anything else you’d suggest to for how to get him through this?” 

Principal Sanders smiled kindly. “Henry has always been very resilient, and I think that you just need to keep loving him and letting him know that you support him, even while coaching him on how to direct his anger and frustration.” 

Emma smiled halfheartedly. He certainly had plenty of bad examples to choose from in his family for dealing with anger. She supposed this was good for all of them to talk about. 

“Thank you,” she said, and stopped, not knowing what else to say. 

“And if I may, Ms. Swan, Ms. Mills. Don’t let the gossiping get to you. If you can model that for Henry, he’ll be just fine. And I think you’ll find that most of us are delighted to see both of you happy together.” 

Emma didn’t know how much she needed to hear that until she tried to speak and the lump in her throat prevented her for a moment. 

“Thank you,” she said again. “That means a lot.” 

Principal Sanders nodded, and stood. 

“Please let me know if there’s anything you need from me. And you can expect a letter from the school about detention.” 

Emma and Regina left the building with Henry following along behind. When they got outside, Emma stopped them. 

"We need to talk about this," she said, and glanced around at the various people not even trying to disguise their stares. "But not here." 

Regina nodded her agreement. 

"Let's go out to the North Beach," Emma suggested. On a weekday the far beach was sure to be deserted. She'd learned from her walks with Regina that sometimes the hard conversation were best held outside of their usual places.  

*** 

 

The beach was indeed deserted, so they settled themselves into a little circle on the sand. It was windy, but the sun was shining, and when they huddled together, Emma felt her heart glow with sudden recognition. They had become a family. Things might be tense in their world, but they were dealing with it together, and that was everything to her. 

Emma started to ask Henry if he would tell the whole story, but Regina started to say the same thing, and they both stopped. Emma put a hand on Regina's elbow as she nodded to her to take the lead. She'd been so worried by Regina's silence at the school that she wasn't about to stop her from speaking up now. 

"Henry, why don't you tell us what happened," Regina said again, her voice so kind it melted Emma's heart. This was the kind of parenting she never got as a kid, and it meant the world to her to see Regina being so patient with him. She knew also that Henry and Regina had had to work hard to rebuild their relationship, and she could see the real love that existed between them now. 

Henry shifted around in the sand, his eyes cast downward as he launched into the story. 

"Justin and Cameron were talking about you two today at lunch, and they made sure everyone could hear it," he started. 

"Of course it was those two," growled Emma. This was not the first time those names had come up in her son's stories from school. 

"They were saying all of this really rude stuff about you, Mom," he glanced up at Regina. "So I told them to stop, but they kept going. And so I shoved Justin, and then he hit me, and I guess I got really mad because I hit him back." 

Emma tried to turn off the part of her brain that said this was a perfectly reasonable response. By the way Regina's fingers twitched, she would guess she was thinking the same thing. 

"Henry," Regina said after a moment. "I love you so much. We both do," she added, looking at Emma. "And thank you for trying to defend me. But you really don't need to. People are going to talk, and it might be pretty mean for a while. But I really don't care." 

Emma looked at her in surprise. Regina had been so worried about telling people at first, and now she didn't care? 

"Really," Regina said again, this time to Emma. "All day I was so anxious about what people were going to say, but I realized this afternoon that what they think doesn't matter. People used to hate and fear me, with good reason. And if they hate me now just because I found love with someone they didn't expect me to, well, that's on them." 

Emma tried to contain her delighted grin, she really did. But it wouldn't be stifled, so she just sat there and let it happen. 

"You … you love her?" Henry asked, and Emma realized that maybe they should have had this kind of conversation with him earlier. Well, they were having it now. 

"Yes, Henry, I do," Regina replied with a smile. 

"And I love her back," Emma said. She took Regina's hand in her own. A slow smile blossomed on their son's face. 

"Awesome," he said. 

Regina laughed, the sound rippling around them. "Yes, Henry, it is." 

Emma basked in this for a moment until the parenting instinct kicked back in. 

"Alright, kid. Let's talk about what you're going to do the next time Justin or Cameron starts talking shit about us." 

Regina raised an eyebrow at her language. 

"What?" Said Emma, innocently. "He's a teenager. And he's heard it all before." 

"From you." 

Emma rolled her eyes but laughed. Regina's tone was playful, and in fact Emma was happy to get to show Henry this kind of banter. She wanted him to see a bit of what their relationship was like when he wasn't around. 

"Anyway," she turned back to their son. "The point is that all three of us need to figure out how to deal with whatever people say for a while. Because you come by that temper honestly, kid." 

"Just ignore it," Regina replied simply. 

"I can't just ignore it," said Henry. "You're my Mom, and I can't just let them say those things." 

Emma wondered suddenly what exactly that little shit Justin had said. She wasn't about to ask Henry to repeat it, though. 

"I know, honey," said Regina. "But if you don't react to it, they'll stop eventually. Trust me, they're not worth your time." 

"Yeah," Emma interjected, finally figuring out what she wanted to suggest. "Just don't engage with them, and them come home and tell us all about it. With me, you can say anything you want about those boys, and then you don't have to say it to them.  

"And of course you can talk to you Mom about it, too," Emma added, "But maybe save the bad language for me." She winked at Regina, who just laughed. 

"Does that sound like something you can do?" Regina asked Henry. 

"Yeah." He paused. "I'm sorry." 

Regina leaned over to wrap her arms around him. 

"Don't be," she whispered. 

Emma scooted closer so she could hug them both, too. They stayed like that until Henry complained, and Emma laughed, tousling his hair as she let go. 

"Alright, family," she said, "who's up for pizza?" 

 

*** 

They brought dinner to Regina's house, and Henry went up to his room to be a teenager the moment they were finished eating. Emma helped clean up the kitchen, and as soon as the dishes were put away, she turned and wrapped her arms around Regina from behind. Regina hummed and pressed back into her. 

"Remember when you did this at my house after game night?" Emma murmured into her hair. 

"Vividly," Regina replied, turning around to pull Emma in for a long, slow kiss. Emma sighed into her lips and held her tighter. Eventually she pulled back to breathe, laying their foreheads together. 

"I was so worried about you today at the school," she said quietly. 

"I know," Regina sighed. "I'm sorry. I was fighting against the feeling that this was all my fault, and I didn't want to say that, so I just didn't say anything." 

"I kind of thought that was it. And I know the feeling. Honestly I really needed to hear Principal Sanders tell us that it was just kids being jerks and not something to be really concerned about." 

Regina nodded. "That helped. And Emma, I meant what I said to Henry – let people talk. This is a good thing we have, and I'm not ashamed of it." 

Emma kissed her again.  

"I love you," she whispered. 

"I love you too." 

Regina nuzzled into Emma's neck and ran her hands lightly over her back.  

"Will you stay here tonight?" She asked quietly. 

Emma smiled. For as often as she saw Regina and as close as they'd gotten, they hadn't ever spent the night together. 

"Yes," she replied, melting into the soft caresses. "Yes, definitely." 

*** 

They went to bed early, and Emma tried hard to banish the shyness that crept up on her. She generally felt at home in Regina's house, and they'd even had sex in her bed just a few days ago. But somehow watching Regina go about her nighttime routine made Emma feel like she was intruding, and she didn't know what to do with herself. She was sitting on the bed fiddling with the covers when Regina tossed a pile of clothes at her. 

"Pajamas," she said with a soft smile. "And there's extra toothbrushes in the linen closet in the bathroom. Need anything else?" 

Emma smiled, relaxing a bit. "A kiss?" She asked hopefully. 

Regina grinned and leaned in for a quick kiss. She sauntered off to the bathroom, leaving Emma feeling more confident as she changed her clothes. 

When they finally got into bed, Regina immediately snuggled close to her, laying her head on her shoulder and throwing an arm and leg over her body. Emma kissed her head and held her close. They lay in silence for a few moments as Regina traced out patterns on Emma's stomach, her fingers slipping comfortably under her shirt. Emma let her own hands wander up to stroke the soft skin on Regina's back, and she sighed contentedly.  

"I'm glad you're here," Regina whispered. 

"Me too. Why did it take us so long to do this?" 

Regina chuckled. "I have no idea." 

Another beat of easy silence passed. 

"I like that you called us a family earlier," Regina said. 

"We are a family," Emma replied. 

Regina hummed. "Yes, we are." 

She put her hand on Emma's chest, right above her heart. Emma closed her eyes, and in no time at all she was asleep. 


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning was a flurry of activity. Emma got a call from the Sherriff station the moment she woke up, so barely had time to say good morning to Regina before she was out the door. She didn't even have time to go home to change her clothes until mid-afternoon. By the time she had returned home at 7 that evening, she was exhausted, and barely managed to take a shower and eat some food before she collapsed on the couch. She rested with her eyes closed for about five minutes before her house started to feel too quiet. She reached for her phone but stopped. She didn't want to push things with Regina; she knew that sometimes after a really vulnerable moment like they had together yesterday, she was a little skittish. Besides, she really should be able to spend an evening alone, even if all she could think about was laying her head in Regina's lap and running her hands through her hair.  

She groaned, and picked up her phone again. Being alone really wasn't working for her right now, and rather than sitting here pining, she'd see if her Mom wanted some company after Neal was asleep. Snow was delighted to hear from her daughter, and Emma found that getting to talk through how they'd handled Henry's fight was helpful. 

She came home feeling much better, but when she got into bed, she tossed and turned for hours before finally drifting off into an uneasy slumber. When she woke up at 5:30am, it was still dark, but she couldn't get back to sleep. At 6:15 she gave in and texted Regina to see if she was up. Regina responded right away, and Emma smiled to herself as she got ready for their morning walk. 

She had a hand raised to knock on Regina's door when it opened, and Regina immediately wrapped her up in a tight hug. Emma relaxed into the touch gratefully. Fuck it, she thought, and voiced her thoughts: "I missed you last night."

"Oh thank God," Regina breathed.

Emma pulled back to look at her, startled by the response. "What?"

Regina looked down sheepishly. "I missed you, too," she said. "But I didn't want to say it in case you thought it was too …"

"Clingy?" Emma supplied.

Regina chuckled. "Something like that."

"I nearly called you like eight times last night," Emma said by way of a response.

Regina cupped her cheek in one hand. "Can Henry and I come to your place tonight?" She asked, and Emma's heart soared. Henry had been staying at Regina's almost exclusively lately, which Emma didn't really mind most of the time. But the thought of having her little family with her at her house tonight made the rest of the day seem much more bearable.

"Please do," she said quietly.

***

It was Henry who finally brought up the idea of living together a couple months later. They were finishing breakfast on a lazy Sunday morning at Regina's, all of them still in pajamas and nursing mugs of hot chocolate and coffee.

"Moms?" Henry said during a lull in conversation. "I'm sick of shuttling between two houses. Can we all just live together already?"

Regina laughed, but when she turned to Emma, her eyes were unreadable. Emma thought quickly, trying to figure out how to respond to this.

"That's kind of a big question for 10am on a Sunday," she said finally, managing to keep her tone light.

Henry glanced between his mothers, seemed to realize he'd overstepped, and said quickly "I'll let you guys talk about it." 

When he'd left the dining room, Emma turned to Regina.

"Well, what do you think?" She asked.

"I'm … not sure yet." Regina answered, and Emma's heart sank. That sounded like a no.

Regina reached across the table to take her hand. "I've never lived with anyone … like that before," she said. 

"That's OK," Emma replied. "I mean, I haven't really either. It might take us a while to figure things out."

"But you want to?"

Emma took a deep breath. "Yes. I want to." She felt how deeply she wanted this as she said it. This -  her and Regina and Henry under one roof - felt like the home she'd been looking for her whole life, and she wanted more than anything to lean into that. Of course it was scary to want it so much, but like most things with Regina, it had felt a lot less scary as soon as she said it out loud.

"Alright," Regina said quietly.

Emma narrowed her eyes. "We're not doing this unless the answer is yes, not just 'alright.'"

"I'm scared to say yes."

Emma got up and knelt in front of Regina's chair, putting her hands on her knees.

"Talk to me," she prompted.

Regina picked up a piece of Emma's hair and twirled it around her fingers.

"What if … what if something goes wrong?"

"You mean between us?"

Regina nodded.

"Well, then we'll figure it out."

"You make it sound so simple."

Emma shook her head. "I know it's not. But I also know that you're worth it. We're worth it. And you know what? I'm scared too. But I love you, and I love Henry, and I love what we have as a family enough to want to do it anyway."

She pulled Regina's hand to her lips and kissed it, waiting for a response.

Regina brushed at her lips with her fingers.

"Yes," she whispered after a pause, "I want to do this, too."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure." 

That last statement sounded confident enough for Emma to trust it, so she threw her arms around her lover and held her tight.

"So where are we going to live?" Emma turned to see Henry standing in the doorway grinning at them.

She laughed. "Come here, kid." She stood to put an arm around his shoulder, while Regina took hold of his elbow, smiling through unshed tears at both of them.

"I vote for here," Henry said.

Emma smiled. "Seconded. Your kitchen is way better than mine."

Regina laughed, and took Emma's hand again. "Well, then, welcome home," she said.


End file.
